Royal Caribbean: Hurricane Simon Cuts Voyager of the Seas’ Mexican Riviera Cruise to a Single Port

October 13, 2026 — Royal Caribbean has dropped Puerto Vallarta from Voyager of the Seas’ current Mexican Riviera sailing because of Hurricane Simon. The 8-night cruise from Los Angeles will now visit just one port, Cabo San Lucas, twice.

Update: yesterday’s report covered Mexico’s Navy closing Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo to shipping, with no new cruise changes announced at the time. Since then Royal Caribbean has cancelled Voyager of the Seas’ October 13 Puerto Vallarta call, and Holland America Line’s Zaandam has skipped Mazatlán.

What happened

Voyager of the Seas left Los Angeles on Thursday, October 8, 2026, on an 8-night Mexican Riviera cruise. Before it sailed, Hurricane Rachel and then-Tropical Storm Simon had already knocked out its Catalina Island and Mazatlán calls, and its Cabo San Lucas stop moved up to Saturday, October 10.

ADVERTISEMENT

Around October 12, Royal Caribbean told guests that the storm forecast had worsened. The line said it was unable to safely call on Puerto Vallarta, so the ship is returning to Cabo San Lucas instead. In its notice the line said “the forecast has deteriorated, and we’re unable to safely call on Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.” The ship is still due back in California on Friday, October 16.

Voyager of the Seas, October 8–16 sailing

Compensation for guests on board

• Non-refundable onboard credit per stateroom: $50 for inside and oceanview, $100 for balcony, $250 for suites
• An extra $25 each for third and fourth guests in a stateroom
• 20% off shore excursions for the second Cabo San Lucas visit
• Puerto Vallarta excursions booked through Royal Caribbean are cancelled and refunded to the onboard account; leftover refundable balances go back to the card on file at the end of the cruise

Other ships affected by Simon

• Holland America Line, Zaandam: skipped Mazatlán on October 12. It is due in San Diego on October 15 to begin a 35-night sailing to Hawaii and French Polynesia.
• Princess Cruises, Discovery Princess: called at Cabo San Lucas on October 12. Its Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta calls were still scheduled, but the captain said changes could follow.
• Virgin Voyages, Brilliant Lady: its October 10–17 sailing from Los Angeles had already replaced all three Mexican ports with Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada.
• Puerto Vallarta’s local paper reported that the cancellations reduce the port’s October cruise calls to 19.

Storm status

At the National Hurricane Center’s Monday afternoon (October 12) advisory, cited by Cruise Hive, Simon had sustained winds of 100 mph, down from 155 mph at its Category 4 peak. It was about 210 miles south of Mazatlán, crawling west-northwest at 3 mph, with a hurricane watch covering part of the coast that includes Puerto Vallarta. Vallarta Daily reported that Puerto Vallarta’s airport was closed until 8 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13. A reopening date for cruise calls is TBA.

What it means for airline travelers

• If you are booked on a Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles, Long Beach or San Diego this week, expect more port swaps. Check your line’s app and email before you fly to the embarkation port.
• Voyager of the Seas still returns to Los Angeles on October 16 as planned, so flights home from LAX that day are not affected by the reroute.
• Do not plan to fly into Puerto Vallarta (PVR) or Mazatlán (MZT) to start a trip or meet a ship until the airports and ports confirm normal operations. Flights out of PVR are likely to be full as stranded visitors leave, so standby seats will be scarce for several days.
• Skipped ports for weather usually do not bring a fare refund. On this sailing Royal Caribbean is giving onboard credit and refunding Puerto Vallarta excursions booked through the line; excursions booked privately must be cancelled with the tour operator.
• No change to travel-industry or interline rates was mentioned.

Sources

• Cruise Hive: Voyager of the Seas Cruise Down to One Port Due to Hurricane Simon
• Cruise Fever: Hurricane Simon Forces Another Cruise Ship to Skip Puerto Vallarta: Canceled Ports & Ships on Watch
• Vallarta Daily: Simon Forces Second Cruise Ship to Skip Puerto Vallarta